Draw Me Distraction
by purple elephant
Summary: Brooke has a great career, and is completely focused on that no time for anything else. That all changes when one day she meets Danny Jones someone who ends up being more than just a little distraction.
1. Chapter 1

_**Disclaimer: **We do not own anyone in this story, however we do own the story line._

_This is a Danny Jones oriented story._

_This is a collaborative story between me and my friend, and we have decided to post this here along with other fan fiction boards. We do hope you enjoy reading this as much as we have enjoyed writing it._

_Thank you in advance for taking time to read!_

_We appreciate it greatly!_

**Chapter One - "We pass just close enough to touch…"**

The music blared from the speakers, thumping loudly in my chest as I entered the bar. It was packed, more than usual, filled with young females all dressed to impress. I was no exception, I was dressed to impress, but as to whom I had no idea. I was dragged here, forced against my will to be all dolled up and put on display. This wasn't my scene, yet I played along, joining my friend in her quest for her own little 'distraction' from her everyday life. It was the same every week, and normally I was able to escape this kind of humiliation with some sort of excuse, but this week I was trapped, so I had to make the best of this awkward situation.

"Let's get something to drink Brooke," my friend Sophie yelled into my ear, drawing my attention back from glancing around the smoke filled room, focusing back to the person in front of me.

"Yeah ok," I responded, following her through the mass of bodies that filled this tiny space.

What was it that had drawn all these girls into this normally sparsely filled bar? What had attracted this type of audience?

I managed to get myself a beer and decided that it was far too hectic standing at the bar with the manic crowd of people and proceeded to make my way over to a corner table, away from the crowd, but unfortunately unable to escape the loud thumping of the bass that penetrated my body.

Somewhere along the way, I had lost Sophie, undoubtedly to a young gentleman pulling her into the crowd, but she was a big girl and she could take care of herself, so I didn't worry. My eyes scanned over the crowd in front of the stage, and undeniably I found her; her body pressed up against a young hot thing, their faces inches apart. I couldn't help but laugh a little, it was just like Sophie to walk into a room and command it, grab the nearest guy and just have her way with him; I just wish I could exude some of that confidence.

My eyes left hers, and continued to scan the rest of the bar; finally taking in everything that was around me. And ultimately my eyes landed on the stage. How had I missed him before? Walking in, I was so preoccupied with my misery that I had missed him standing in the middle of the stage, strumming away on his guitar, swaying back and forth as he played with his band.

It was undeniable why all these girls surrounded the stage, their hands waving in front of them in hopes of touching him, the girls swooning as he flashed a huge grin while crossing the stage; he was gorgeous. He caught my attention. I was unable to tear my gaze away from him, so he provided me with a nice distraction for the evening; giving me something to look at while I passed the time at the back of the bar while my friend danced the night away.

His band played for an hour, and I continued to stare at him as his fingers worked away on the strings of the guitar. He just looked so hot playing up on the stage, so comfortable, emanating so much confidence that I can guarantee I felt my heart speed up a couple of times through out the set. At one moment, I swear I felt his eyes reach me, seeing me for only a second, lingering for a moment and then moving on to the rest of the crowd. I'm sure he couldn't see me, being tucked away in the back, behind hundreds of bodies, cradling my drink as I tapped my foot along to the music.

The set ended and the band left, the girls swarming to the side of the stage, little squeals being let out as the band signed autographs and gave hugs to fans. I couldn't see the scene, but I could easily picture it in my head, laughing quietly as I made my way back over to the bar to replenish my drink.

Surprisingly, I had a few men come up to me over the course of the night; offering me drinks, telling me how 'hot' I looked, asking me if I wanted to 'go somewhere quiet'. I had managed to brush most of them off, unable to control my laughter as some came up with the cheesiest pick-up lines I have ever heard. Tonight would go down in the record books as the 'night of cheesiest one-liners ever'.

Leaning over the bar, I managed to yell to the bartender for another beer, barely able to hear the sound of my own voice as the dance music now blasted throughout the small bar. Bodies moved out on the dance floor in front of the stage, suddenly leaving the bar area rather empty and almost bearable to be around.

"Hey, can I buy you a drink?" I heard a low voice say, as I was handed my beer bottle, a smile spreading across my lips at the pathetic attempt at a pick-up line.

"Oh, it seems that you're just a second too late…" I said smugly, turning around slowly, ready to have fun with this new pathetic loser, but I was stopped abruptly mid sentence as my breath caught in my throat.

He still looked amazing close up, and now he was standing in front of me and I had just made an idiot of myself, sounding like a complete bitch. '_Stupid, stupid, stupid' _I cursed myself silently.

"Oh," he answered disheartened, continuing to stare at me with deep eyes; they were a dark shade of blue that I felt myself drawn to, unable to tear my eyes away from.

"No, I'm sorry that was bitchy beyond belief," I said, trying to salvage any attempt at a conversation between us. For some reason, I wanted to have a conversation with him.

"Only a little," he said, both of us starting to laugh.

There was an awkward silence, the music from the speakers bleeding into the space between us, my mind frantically searching for something to say. Anything.

"You were pretty good up there," I finally managed to spit out, instantly regretting that I only said 'pretty good' and not 'amazing'.

"Oh well thanks," he said, grabbing a drink for himself from the bar, allowing me time to take a huge gulp of my beer to maybe try and ease the nerves that were jittering inside me. Why was I so nervous around this complete, undoubtedly handsome, stranger?

"So I saw you from the stage," he said while turning around.

I was caught in the middle of swallowing my drink and managed to spit out the beer from my mouth in complete shock from his statement. Shit. He really had noticed me when I thought his eyes caught me earlier on in the evening and now I had gone and spit beer on the guy. This was going splendidly.

"Oh my God, I'm so sorry," I said, grabbing napkins, wiping down his shirt frantically. My fingertips caught the skin of his neck ever so briefly and a jolt of electricity shot through my fingers and down my spine. Keep it together Brooke, I commanded silently, cursing my clumsy ways.

"It's ok, it's only a little spilt beer," he laughed off, grabbing my hand away from his chest to stop it from trying to hurriedly wipe away the fermented liquid.

I thought my legs would give way at that moment, my eyes shooting up to focus on his face as his eyes met mine. We both stood there for a moment, the music being drowned out by the deafening beating of my heart, reading to explode from my chest. I quickly cleared my throat and we both glanced down at our clasped hands, and he dropped it, shifting backwards nervously. I bit my lip, suddenly aware that I was blushing slightly, hoping that the dim lighting in the bar would mask my embarrassment and foolishness.

"I'm really sorry," I apologized again, shaking my head gently from side to side, unable to believe the stupid antics I was pulling in front of this guy.

"It's ok, really," he said, trying to reassure me. He seemed sincere; a rarity to find in bars like these.

"Let me make it up to you," I said, trying to find a way I could try and eradicate this terribly awkward situation. I felt so guilty.

"It's alright really, just talking to you is worth it," he said, his voice lowering at the end, his eyes dropping to the floor.

Wow, he was being so unbelievably sweet and it just made my head go all fuzzy and my stomach fill with butterflies as they fluttered around giving me an excited yet nervous feeling. It was nice, I felt like a school girl again, all anxious and shaky in front of a guy.

"That's sweet," I said, shuffling slightly closer to him, being pushed in various directions by the crowd of people starting to flock towards the bar. What was it with all these people, it's like they travelled in packs.

"So my name's Danny by the way," he said all of a sudden, sticking out his hand, realizing we had been talking for a good ten minutes and we hadn't even exchanged names.

"I'm Brooke," I answered, taking his hand in mine and shaking it gently. There was that jolt of electricity once again. I felt the temperature in the room raise by a hundred degrees, an almost suffocating feeling filling my chest. I had to let go, before I was consumed by the overwhelming feeling.

We moved to a small table, nuzzled somewhere in the back, away from prying eyes and curious ears; Danny seemed to be drawing some attention to himself no matter where he travelled in the bar. He caught the eyes of almost every girl in the bar; and I was shot dirty stares just as equally for walking beside him. We managed to pass the rest of the night together in that back table, his band mates joining us for the second half of the night. Uncontrollable laughter filled the atmosphere of the table as stories were shared after being introduced to each one of them. As we continued to talk, Danny's leg would brush up against mine and chills would rush down my back. His hand caught arm at one point, the back of his hand brushing against the exposed bare skin of my upper arm; I was sure I was going to melt into the seat at that moment, pulling all my strength in me to remain sitting upright.

Every time I glanced up from the table or focused my attention to the crowd of people in the bar, I managed to catch an evil sneer thrown my way; jealously evident in the girls due to the fact that I was sitting here with four very handsome boys. Never in a million years did I think I would be the girl sitting with the band. It was comical really.

Slowly, one by one each band member left, first the guitarist, then the bassist, and finally the drummer; leaving me and Danny alone for the first time since we met at the bar. I was happy that he wanted to stay, indicating that these feelings weren't only one-sided. I had gotten suddenly very nervous, but was able to control my nerves due to the slightly large amount of alcohol I had somehow managed to consume, unsure of when it all happened.

I hadn't heard from Sophie yet, last time seeing her with that guy on the dance floor, attached at the hips. She should have at least come to check up on me, make sure I'm still alive after she abandoned me. I was a little peeved to say the least.

At that moment, I felt a vibrating from my pant pocket and reached for my phone. Flipping open the screen, I read the message and was filled with a bit of anger, annoyance, but also a bit of relief. Sophie had ditched me.

_Hey babe. Left with man candy. Don't wait for me. Sof xx_

"Bitch," I muttered under my breath, flipping my phone closed forcefully, cursing myself for being so stupid as to be dragged along here just to be ditched.

"What?" I heard Danny ask, my attention being focused back to him; ok so being dragged out here wasn't all bad.

"Oh nothing, my friend just ditched me," I said, tucking my phone back into my jean pocket. I grabbed my beer and took another long drink, bracing myself for the long walk home.

"You came here with a friend?" he asked.

"Yeah, Sophie, but she managed to scurry off somewhere with some guy she found at the bar, so I have to walk home alone now, what fun," I said sarcastically, focusing on the table, my hands fidgeting nervously around the beer bottle.

"Well I can walk you home," Danny offered hopefully, placing his hand over mine on the table. I stopped breathing at that moment, my heart ceasing to beat as his skin touched mine.

"That's really kind of you, but I'm sure it's out of your way," I said, trying to sound non-chalant, but hoping that he would protest a little; it would be nice to walk home with him, I didn't exactly want this night to end yet.

"Nonsense, plus a pretty girl like yourself could get jumped at this time of night," he added chivalrously, giving me a huge grin to reassure me he wanted to do this.

"That's really sweet of you Danny, I'd love for you to walk me home," I accepted, laughing as the grin on his lips got even wider at my response. A sudden urge to place my lips on his built up inside me, but I stopped myself, controlled myself, gained some composure; it would be too soon.

We decided to leave the bar after we finished our final drinks, walking out into the warm summer night, the refreshing breeze welcoming after sitting in the suffocatingly smoky bar for hours. I inhaled deeply, closing my eyes to try and gain some composure for the walk home; I had to control myself around Danny.

The walk was long, but not long enough in my opinion. We managed to talk the entire time, not a silent moment falling between us. He was funny, and had managed to make me laugh almost the entire walk home; my sides ached from all the laughter that had escaped my mouth tonight. We walked down my street, a quiet side street with rows of respectable townhouses lined up. We approached my doorstep, stopping in front of the stairs, the first silence falling between us since we left the bar.

"So, this is me," I said, looking up at my door and then focusing back onto my shoes, rocking back and forth, unsure of what to do next. "Thank you for walking me home," I thanked him, looking up at him for the first time since we arrived at my door step.

"Anytime," Danny answered, flashing that same grin again.

His eyes began to scan my face, falling on my eyes and boring deeper to try and find what I was thinking. I couldn't help but stare back, my knees feeling weak as we stood there, our eyes locked. My breath was caught in my throat, my fingers fiddling nervously with each other, unable to really remain still. I wanted him to move forward and just kiss me, to close the gap between us and feel his lips on mine, but he remained back.

"Well, I should get inside, thanks again," I said, feeling a little deflated; maybe he was only being kind walking me home?

"Yeah," he replied quietly, letting his head drop, gaze focused on the pavement below us.

I let out a deep sigh and said bye, turning on my heel, making my way slowly up the stairs. I could still feel his presence behind me as I reached the first step, aware that he was staring at my back, the heat from his stare boring a hole into my back. Just say something you idiot; both a plea to him and myself.

"I'd like to see you again," I finally heard him say firmly, finding myself whipping around to look at him once more.

I couldn't stop the huge grin that spread across my face, I had seemed to be filled with so much joy by six simple words.

"Me too," I said, walking back down the stairs towards him, stopping in front of him and pulling out a piece of paper to scribble down my number. I couldn't stop smiling.

"Good," he said reaching for the piece of paper, brushing my hand, sending those butterflies into flight once again.

He brought his hand gently to my face and slowly brushed a stray hair from my face, running his finger along cheek. Kiss me damn it! Just lean in a kiss me already, I pleaded in my head, wanting to feel his lips on mine, if only for a moment. But I was too scared to make the first move; I would have to wait due to my cowardice. His hand dropped from my face and my hopes dropped as well.

"Well, bye," he said, smiling at me once again.

"Yeah bye. Thanks again," I said, giving him one final look before turning my back to him once again and making my way up the stairs and to my door.

I unlocked it and stepped inside, closing it behind me and leaning my back against the door, breathing in deeply, trying to calm my nerves and my disappointment. I wish he had just kissed me. I was startled by a soft knocking, almost inaudible it was so low. I turn around apprehensively, unsure if I'm just hearing things. I reach for the lock and pull the door open and my stomach does a somersault as I find Danny standing on my doorstep.

He doesn't say anything, just a determined look in his eyes. He leans forward; cupping my face in his hands and pulls me into a kiss. Finally! The sparks that erupt from the meeting of our lips are earth shattering, sending both cold shivers and hot waves throughout my body, my legs becoming weak under the weight of my body. My arms remain lifeless at my sides as his lips continue to move over mine, his tongue brushing gently across my bottom lip. I feel him smile into the kiss and I find myself mimicking his actions, my arms suddenly coming to life and wrapping around his neck. We stay like this for moments, and then he pulls away; my lips left numb from his touch. He smiles at me softly.

"I've wanted to do that all night," he laughs, continuing to stare at me.

I remain silent, purely from shock. He notices the blank expression on my face and laughs quietly under his breath. He doesn't say another word; he just turns around and walks down the stairs, turning at the bottom and making his way down the street. I just stand there for moments, relishing in the feeling of his lips on mine. I manage to compose myself after a few minutes and I close the door and lock it behind me. This night ended up turning out alright, better than alright; I think I may have found a permanent distraction, one that has overwhelmed me already, by consuming my thoughts.

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	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two - "I take a breath and grab the phone, secretly hoping you're not home" 

I let out a long, deep sigh, as I rifled through the papers scattered across my desk. It was times like these that I wished I were one of the organised people. Not the one overly involved in her work who, when it came to it, could never find the one piece of paper that they had been working on for a week, minutes before possibly the most important meeting of the month. We have a lot of meetings.

The fact that my mind had been wandering onto other things all day was probably not much help either. He hasn't called. It's been a week, and nothing. To be perfectly frank, it doesn't bother me. What does bother me is that I have been thinking about him, more than I've been thinking about the project that I'm working on. My thoughts have been totally consumed by Danny. We had a good evening, far better than expected, but I really did not anticipate the constant struggle to get him out of my head.

I stood back from my desk, in an attempt to focus on the job at hand.

"Oh fucking typical." I cursed loudly as I noticed the piece of paper on the floor. The one that I'd turned my already untidy desk, upside down to look for.

"Well, If I'd have known I'd have that much of an effect on you…" the voice trailed off.

I spun round violently on the spot. A perfectly formed being stood in the doorway to my office smiling smugly. Corey. God I hated that smug little smile of his.

"How can I help you Corey?" I smiled back at him, unable to stop myself.

"Brooke, it's always a pleasure, so nice to see such a fine specimen of a female in this male dominated work environment…"

He just couldn't resist the cringe worthy compliments could he? It never failed.

He entered the office, standing uncomfortably close to me, "We're going in now, I think Bradley wants a quick run through before boss-man joins us."

I smiled sweetly back at him, grabbing my bag, and papers.

"Thank you Corey. I'll…" my speech was interrupted by a vibration from inside my bag. I frantically rummaged through the cavernous space, and pulled out my mobile.

I glanced at the number flashing on the screen, quickly realising that I didn't recognise it.

"Excuse me, I'll be there in a minute" I ushered Corey quickly out of my office, and answered the call.

"Hello?"

"Oh, hi. Is that Brooke?"

"Yep" I was getting impatient here. Don't call my number, and then ask if it's me. Especially right now.

"Oh hi. It's Danny from the bar the other night?" my heart plummeted to my feet, slowly rising and beating aggressively in my throat. Bad, bad timing.

"Hi!" my voice emerged far more enthusiastically than I'd hoped.

"Yeah, Hi. I was wondering if you wanted to go for a drink later on?"

"I'm sorry, Danny, now is a really bad time, I'm about to go into a meeting. Could you call back a bit later? I'm so sorry"

"Oh," I heard his voice drop and felt a small pang of guilt shoot through me, yet I didn't have time to do anything about the situation.

"Yeah, sure, speak to ya later then."

I hung up the phone without even saying goodbye. Tossed it back into my bag, and quickly made my way to the boardroom, to be met by a heckling crowd of colleagues.

I slumped down into the nearest available seat, the one next to Corey, and proceeded to arrange my papers on the desk in front of me.

He turned to face me, leaning into me slightly, breaking that personal space barrier.

"So, booty call was it? You got me outta there pretty quick!" He looked smugly over at me, with a raised eyebrow, his remark followed by wolf whistles and obscene comments from my colleagues. Being the only female in an office full of heterosexual males had some serious downsides.

I managed to laugh off the taunting, and busied myself with flicking through my work, and scribbling notes before the meeting began. Taking a brief glance around me I noticed that Corey was still staring at me, with that same expression glued to his face, in anticipation of a reply to his question.

"Oh, come on Corey." I looked at him, beginning to get annoyed. It happened every time. He didn't want me, but as soon as the slight possibility that some one else did, he had to know about it. Why does he send these mixed signals and why do I always fall for them? I need to get over him, two years is just way to long for this to go on. Get it together Brooke.

"What? Come on, was it a guy? Have you been seeing someone? Casual thing? Serious? Or was it just a booty call?" he raised an eyebrow again, giving me that same smug look.

"Shut up Corey. It was no one. If you must know - some guy I met in a bar a few nights ago, it meant nothing, he was nothing, I gave him the brush off. Happy now?" God, why did I feel the need to explain myself to him, it was none of his business. Why was I even giving the slimy git the time of day? I guess it was just the effect he had on me. I couldn't shake it off.

I rocked back on my chair, gently biting my lip. For some reason my two-second conversation with Danny was running around my head on a conveyor belt. I wondered why he'd waited so long to call, and smiled as I remembered he wanted to see me again, and then I thought about how rude I'd been to him. I didn't even say goodbye, or give him a chance to speak. I wouldn't be surprised if he never called again, taking my call as a total brush off – which it kind of was, but unexpectedly I quite liked the distraction. I'd be a bit disappointed if I never heard from him again.

I breathed a sigh of relief as the meeting came to a close. Four hours. Four hours we had been discussing this job. It was a successful exercise though. My ideas were taken on board, and I was given the lead on the entire project. It was a huge responsibility, but one that I was ready for. I had the time to focus my thoughts on this, and only this, although it was going to be a lot of work.

I slammed my papers onto my desk and smiled to myself as I looked around my office. It was gonna be yet another late one. I was determined to impress with my work.

I took a sip from my third cup of coffee of the evening, my stomach growling loudly and bringing me back to reality. It was gone midnight. Time had yet again been pulled from under my feet; I gazed around, to see a dark, and empty building. My head was thumping, and I was starving. I reached into my bag to grab my phone and call for a takeaway, and then it hit me. Danny. I'd been a bitch, yet again and given him a total brush off. I winced as I slowly turned the phone over, letting it light up to display an empty screen. No missed calls. He hadn't called back, not that I blame him. I felt my stomach churn, as much as it pained me to admit it, I was really disappointed, and on top of that, racked with guilt. My eyes flickered across his number, as I silently debated with myself whether or not to call him. It was nearly 1am; surely he'd be asleep. I could just leave a message, apologise, and leave it up to him whether or not he wants to call me. I rehearsed what I wanted to say in my head, it wasn't like I'd never left a message before, but this time, I was nervous, I could feel a lump in my throat, and didn't want to muck it up. Here went nothing.

I took a deep, shaky breath as I heard the dial tone kick in, and the phone began to ring. Cursing myself for being such a baby, yet still desperately hoping that he wouldn't answer, I racked my fingernails on the desk, rocking gently in my chair.

"Hello?" I heard the brash northern accent and deep voice answer the phone. Oh. My. God. He answered. I didn't rehearse this. My heart sped up and I felt the lump in my throat grow by the minute.

"Hello?!" That voice again. I panicked, trying to make myself speak.

"Uh, Hi." The feeble attempt left my lips.

"You alright?" Danny queried, with a slight chuckle.

"Yeah. Actually, I'm gonna be honest, I wasn't expecting you to answer. It's nearly 1 am" I felt myself begin to relax, slowly regaining my composure.

"Oh yeah, couldn't sleep. How was your meeting?" He was being so sweet, especially after the way I'd spoken to him.

"Oh yeah, I'm so sorry about earlier. I was just about to go in and see my boss, I'm actually still at work now..." I trailed off, realising how sad that must sound.

"I was just calling to see if you wanted to go for a drink tonight, but I guess not," He laughed again, sending chills down my spine.

"Well, I would have, but I just got stuck here. You're welcome to take me out for a drink now though," I laughed sarcastically, in an attempt to lighten the mood slightly.

"Yeah, okay," he replied bluntly, leaving me somewhat speechless.

"What?"

"Yeah. Okay. We can go out now."

"Danny, be serious. I've been in the same clothes since..." I glanced at my watch, five past one "..Yesterday and I haven't eaten since breakfast, I don't think I'd be very good company."

"Rubbish. I'm starving, you must be starving, tell me where you work, I'll pick you up, and we'll go for late night dinner and a drink. I know this great place just off Regent Street."

"Danny.." I hesitated, smiling at how ridiculous this whole idea was, yet never regretting my suggestion.

"Come on, give us the address, and I'll be there."

"No, this is crazy" I laughed, frantically running my fingers through my hair, and flattening out my clothes in an attempt to make myself look mildly respectable. My heart was screaming at me to say yes, to go with him, but my head was otherwise inclined, thankfully my heart won.

"Okay, but not from work, I'll meet you on Regent Street in twenty minutes, outside the tube station." I spat the words out hurriedly, before I changed my mind.

"Done, see ya there!"

I snapped my phone closed and threw it into my bag. I wasn't a spur of the moment person, and I wasn't prepared for this. I pulled my hair back from my face, tying it into a messy bun, and quickly smoothed on some lip-gloss. I felt grubby in my work clothes. When I left home seventeen hours previously I'd looked pretty good, to the naked eye, I looked exactly the same, but to me, I'd been wearing the same clothes for far too long. Unfortunately I had no time to change and this would have to be as good as it got.

I thought my heart would explode as I walked along the street towards the tube station. I could hear it beating in my head, and the lump in my throat had yet to dislodge itself.

As I neared the station I could see the dark shadow of a figure leaning up against the wall. Even from a distance he made my heart race. He looked gorgeous stood standing there, hands thrust into his pockets, the collar of his jacket pulled up, tousles of hair poking out from under his beanie hat. Why on Earth was he meeting me at one in the morning, _and_ I was dressed in my work clothes.

He turned to face me as he heard me getting closer, and I saw a small smile creep onto his lips. I glanced down at the floor, suddenly self-conscious, but struggled to keep my eyes off him for too long.

I smiled back, as he took a few steps forward to meet me half way.

"Hey working girl" He greeted me with a kiss on the cheek, leaving my skin burning with tingles where his lips touched.

"You look gorgeous"

"Hey," I smiled and tore my gaze away from his sparkling eyes before I looked into them for an uncomfortable amount of time. I crossed my arms across my chest in an attempt to block out the cold night air, and cover some of my clothes. I'm sure he was only saying that to be polite.

"Come on, it's just 'round the corner." Danny led the way, clearly noticing that I was cold. I walked beside him, our arms brushing every so often, sending those all too familiar tingles shooting through my body.

I looked up at him, frowning slightly as we turned down a dark, narrow side street. He raised an eyebrow and nodded as reassurance.

"I come here all the time. It's pretty cool. Kinda old school music bar – like…" he trailed off, obviously coming to the conclusion that he wasn't making much sense.

I could hear live music coming from somewhere, and laughed to myself as I realised how crazy this whole thing was. I was being led down dark side streets, at one in the morning by a guy I'd met only once before.

"What's so funny?" Danny nudged me with his elbow and stared down at me, waiting for an answer.

"This is crazy."

It was crazy. But I loved it. I liked being with Danny, I enjoyed his company, and he looked absolutely gorgeous.

"Pretty much. But it's also pretty cool. It's up here," Danny directed me down another street, narrower than the first and opened the door to the bar.

The heat hit me as soon as I stepped through the door. The entire place had an aura. I couldn't help smiling as soon I was inside; friendly faces all laughing and chatting in their own little corners of this dark smoky room. I could understand why Danny liked it here immediately. I had also found the source of the live music, there was a middle-aged man on a stool at one side of the room, I didn't recognise what he was singing, but I liked it immediately. It just added to the relaxed ambience of the room.

I blinked a few times, my eyes adjusting to the smoky atmosphere, and followed Danny up to the bar, he nodded in greeting to a few people along the way.

"Let me get these; to make up for earlier?" I insisted, and ordered, handing him his beer.

"You really have nothing to apologise for!" he smiled over at me, and tilted his head towards a booth, tucked out of the way in a corner of the bar.

_**REVIEWS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME AND GREATLY APPRECIATED!**_

_**THANK YOU FOR TAKING TIME TO READ!**_


	3. Chapter 3

_Ok, well here is the third chapter. _

_Thank you for all the reviews, they were brilliant!_

_Seriously, thank you again for reading!_

**Chapter Three – "Too early to say goodnight…"**

Silence. We just stood awkwardly on my doorstep, recreating the scene that had occurred the first time Danny had walked me home. I just don't understand why it is so difficult once we get to this particular spot. All night, well early morning, we have been talking and laughing effortlessly, but now all of a sudden as we stand on these steps at 3 am, both of us can't seem to find anything to say. I know I want him to kiss me, I know that for certain. I also wouldn't mind if he came in; but he's just standing there with his hands dug deep into his pockets, rocking back and forth on his feet. His eyes were darting around, looking everywhere but at me. Hello! Girl standing in front of you wanting to be kissed!

"I had a lot of fun," I began to speak; sounding like a typical movie, not really saying what was racing through my mind. Oh, 'KISS ME' was playing in my head on repeat, just to clarify.

"Yeah, me too," he answered, finally looking up at me, our eyes locking.

There went my breath, catching in my throat, the all too familiar lump lodging itself in the same spot. Why the hell did this guy, practically a stranger, have this effect on me?

All night, sitting beside him, breathing in his scent as we sat very close in the booth, I was starting to become inpatient. We exchanged teasing touches; he would lazily put his arm around my shoulder, brush my bare arm as he reached for something, goose bumps erupting on my skin and shivers trickling down my spine. As soon as I saw him waiting for me at the station, I had the impulse just to lean forward and press my lips against his. This was very unlike me, but he was definitely a welcomed distraction from the men, or lack of men, in my life. It was just a little unnerving how much of a distraction he was becoming; the past week my mind had been filled with thoughts of him. A little too much for my liking.

Nonetheless, here I was, standing at my door, keys in my hand, waiting for this guy to grow a pair and lean forward and just kiss me. The one kiss we had shared previously was amazing, to say the least, so I was very willing to experience it again.

"I still can't believe you were willing to come out with me this late, and after that phone call," I thought out loud, without even thinking. Shit, that was not supposed to be voiced.

"What? Why?" he asked a little surprised, his hands still resting in his pockets, but the rocking ceasing and all his attention focused on me.

I felt a little flushed, a small amount of heat rising to my face as I continued to look at him as he waited for an answer. Oh man, those eyes are going to be the end of me. What was I supposed to say; 'I acted like a total bitch and brushed you off, then called you at an obscene time in the morning to apologise, suggested a crazy idea of going out in the early hours of the morning, yet you accepted'? Surely he would think I was crazy if I said that and he would run away faster then a criminal with a stolen TV.

"What do you mean willing?" he asked again, stepping closer to me, my personal space suddenly feeling smaller, and slightly suffocating.

I fought every urge in my body not to just lunge forward into him. I cleared my throat softly, buying some time to gather my thoughts and give him an answer that wouldn't scare him away, and make this situation a little less awkward than it already was.

"I just thought that I wouldn't be worth the effort," I finally said, dropping my head, not really knowing what else to say.

I had known this guy for a week, and already my insecurities were coming to the surface. Note to self: try to fake some confidence around people.

"I mean, it's late and everything and I wasn't very nice on the phone and…"

My words were cut short as Danny finally leaned in and kissed me. I remained motionless from the shock that it had finally happened, after wanting it so much the entire night. His lips were soft against mine, and they were gentle, moving apprehensively, unsure as to my response.

I pulled away from him, and his expression fell. My heart jumped at this gesture; it meant that he wanted me to respond, he wanted me to kiss him back, and he wasn't just being kind. My lips began to curl into a smile, I felt my cheeks rise as the smile grew; this was going better than I had hoped. But shit, I had pulled away, he was probably getting the wrong idea. Fix this Brooke!

"Sorry," he began to mumble as his hands delved even deeper into the fabric of his pockets, stepping back and retreating away from me as his ego was bruised.

"It's alright," I answered, the smile still glued on my face. I let out a little giggle and turned my back to him.

My keys jingled in the quiet of the night, Danny silent behind me. The lock clicked and I turned the handle slowly, stepping in without a sound as I dropped my bag on the floor by the door.

"Well, I guess I'll talk to you soon then," Danny said, breaking the silence.

I spun around in the spot and faced him abruptly. What was he saying? Talk to me soon, I didn't realize the evening was over. Why was he saying goodbye? I figured Danny was going to follow me in, but I guess I probably should have extended an invitation before I turned my back to him, my breaking the kiss not exactly being very convincing that I wanted him to come in.

"Night Brooke," he said, giving me a lop-sided grin, a little half-hearted and looking defeated. Why was he saying goodnight? You idiot, I didn't turn you down! Maybe I was wrong in thinking that he wanted something more with me. But surely him agreeing to meet me wasn't just a 'friendly' thing.

He turned around slowly and started making his way down the steps, one at a time, each drop looking heavier and heavier as his figure moved lower and lower. I stood frozen in the spot. What the hell just happened? Within a few minutes time, I went from kissing this completely breath-taking guy, to him quickly saying goodbye, dismissing himself from the slightly awkward situation. Now he was leaving, and I could still feel the tingling sensation as it faded slowly from the skin of my lips.

I heard him exhale loudly as he hit the bottom step, making his way to the sidewalk and turning down the street. Say something Brooke; say anything just to get him to come back! What the hell are you scared of? But no matter how much I yelled at myself internally, my lips didn't move and my voice box remained silent. Since when do I not voice what I'm thinking? Since when does Brooke get shy around guys? Oh I know, ever since I made a fool of myself in front of Corey. But that's a story for another place and another time. Right now, a gorgeous guy, that kissed me just moments ago, is walking down the street. He's walking AWAY from me. Brooke, get it together!

"Hey Danny," I finally called, welcoming the sound of my voice, but cringing a little as it faltered out of my mouth. He didn't respond. Nothing. He just kept walking, his head slightly hung, his pace slow and steady. He didn't hear me, that must have been it. Here went nothing.

I dropped my keys on the floor, and hurried my way down the stone steps, my heels clicking with each drop. I picked up the pace, jogging a little as he continued to walk away from me. Damn it he walked fast.

"Dan," I called again, slightly breathless from my impromptu dash, this time a little louder.

He stopped in his tracks and turned around to be met by me crashing into him, not stopping in time as I continued to run while he stopped in his spot. He caught me in his arms, the grip tight around my shoulders as my weight fell into him. My gaze was locked on his chest, the colour staining the skin of my cheeks as embarrassment coursed through my veins. Great job Brooke, embarrass yourself once again. One week; I have spat my drink on him, acted like a bitch on the phone, gotten him to come out with me in the early hours of the morning, and now I crash into him after kind of rejecting him when he kissed me. My, what a catch you are Brooke. Please note the sarcasm.

I finally gathered some form of confidence and lifted my gaze to meet his stare. There was a small sparkle in his eyes as a smile slowly crept across his lips. He let out a low chuckle, brushing the hair from my face. The gentle touch of his fingertips grazing across my cheek immediately burning through the skin, my knees growing weak.

"Oh God," I whispered out of embarrassment, my head shaking only slightly in disbelief at the thought of my stupidity.

"Do you normally go falling into men's arms in the middle of the street?" he asked, laughing at his own question.

"Sorry," I mumbled, still unable to move from his hold.

He didn't respond, he just continued to stare at me. His eyes were darting around my face, falling on my lips, as our faces remained millimetres apart. I felt it, this electricity buzzing, building up between us as we stood in each other's hold. I couldn't help my gaze from falling onto his lips, and suddenly was overcome by this urgency to taste him again.

It was as if I was watching myself in slow motion; I lifted my chin and brought my lips to his, pressing firmly as he responded almost immediately. My arms flew around his neck, pulling me in closer to him, my breathing becoming short and shallow. His already tight grip around me tensed up and his palms pressed against my lower back. He pulled me into him, up a little, closer to his face. The urgency between us erupted with the merging of our lips and a sudden hunger was evident in the kiss as our lips continued to move upon one another's. His tongue slowly brushed across my bottom lip and I let out a soft moan, unable to control the pleasure that I was feeling just by kissing him. It was overwhelming, an intensity that I hadn't felt before in a simple kiss. By the effortless touch of his lips to mine, Danny had managed to erupt sensations inside of me that were unnervingly earth shattering. After moments of us locked in this position, rather publicly in the middle of the street, I pulled away due to a lack of air. If I didn't need to breathe and could somehow manage to persuade my lungs to give up oxygen, I could have stayed in that kiss for a lifetime. Yes, it was that good. I think everyone should experience such a ground shaking, knees weakening, breath quickening, heart-racing kiss at least once.

"Do you want to come in?" I asked breathlessly, biting my lip nervously as my arms remained wrapped around his neck. I searched his eyes for some sort of indication to his answer, but after that kiss, the way he kissed me, I think I could guess what he was going to say.

He didn't answer; he just smiled that huge grin at me, my heart speeding up in my chest, and took my hand in his as he started to walk back towards my door, which remained open from when I dashed down to chase him.

He walked briskly, as if a man on a mission, pulling me behind him as we shot up the stairs and into my house. I picked up the keys from the floor, and closed the door behind me as Danny made his way into my house, his eyes darting around the space, taking in everything about my place. As the soft click of the door echoed through the silent house, I leant back against the hard wood with my hands behind my back, watching him as he continued to look around at all the things I had accumulated over the course of my adult life.

"You have a very… artsy place Brooke," Danny finally said, not turning to look at me as he said it.

"Is that your nice way of saying that it's crap Danny?" I asked, a little playful shock evident in my voice, teasing him only slightly.

He spun around and started to explain himself immediately, afraid I had taken offence to what he said.

"Oh no, I didn't mean it that way, I was just saying that it's very well put together, and you have a lot of nice artful stuff and that…"

"I'm only teasing Danny," I stopped him, laughing as I dropped my head. Bad joke Brooke.

I suddenly felt his presence in front of me, that same suffocating feeling taking over me, as he stood very close to me. I could feel his chest rise and fall as he took in deep breaths, my head not rising, hands starting to shake, suddenly nervous of him being so close. How did he move so quietly and quickly across the room? Stop thinking about nonsense Brooke, and focus on the guy standing in front of you.

I felt his lips graze my cheek, planting soft kisses against my skin. His hot breath danced across the skin, my whole body trembling from his touch. My arms hung heavily at my sides, immobile as he placed his lips upon the skin of my face, leaving gentle trails of tingling as he was ever so gentle. His hands ran down my sides, slowly pushing aside the thin jacket I was wearing, sliding it off my shoulders and down to the floor beneath my feet.

His hands continued downward, down my sides, passing my waist and resting on my hips for only a moment, before picking up movement again. His fingers traced slowly down my arms and began to lift them gently, raising them over my head as he continued to tease me by kissing me everywhere on my face but not my lips, where the skin burned just to feel his touch.

He pinned me up against the door, arms above my head as his fingers laced with mine, and his weight against my chest, pushing me further into the door. He moved his face down to my neck, sucking gently on the hot skin as his tongue traced small circles.

"Oh God, Danny," I exhaled in a low tone, breaking the sound of heavy breathing that had filled the space.

He broke away from me, his hands still in mine above my head, and brought his face to mine. Our noses just touching, his eyes boring into mine; I saw the huge grin break out across his face, my lips mimicking his automatically.

"You are worth the effort," Danny said in a low tone.

"What?"

Effort? What did he mean by effort? He had to put effort into being here with me? But more importantly, before I over think and over analyze the word effort, let's not forget that he said I was worth it. Heart skipped a beat, insides jumping up and down, brain going into over drive at the implications to what that meant; and strangely enough, the fact that he said it, put me at ease for some reason.

"Well, you said you didn't think you were worth the effort, and I don't really understand how you can think that, because any guy would be crazy not to want to put effort into being with you, and really it's no effort, it's just so easy and I don't see why you doubt yourself with that…"

"Shut up and kiss me Dan," I interrupted, suddenly filled with a new found courage that crept up on me.

With all the nice things he was saying about me, and just being so undeniably sweet, it was new for me, but so nice and I welcomed it. This was turning into a little more than a distraction now, I felt myself binding ties to him, with little threads that would connect us now. With every sweet thing he said, I found myself attaching another thread, connecting me to him even more. I had known this guy for a week and already we were attached, the thin threads running between us as they tangled and intertwined to bring us closer.

"I think I can manage that," he said with a laugh and then lunged forward.

His lips pressed firmly onto mine, the pressure slightly bruising the skin. His hands clenched around mine as his lips worked furiously on mine. We weren't being gentle anymore; the softness subsided to an urgency that was conveyed in rough brushes of our lips and frantic wandering of our hands. He let go of my hands above my head and grabbed my face in his hands, pulling me from the door and closer into him. My arms retook their place around his neck, my hands slowly pulling the hat off he was wearing and dropping it to join my already strewn jacket on the floor. My fingers entangled into the curls of his hair, soft against the skin in-between my fingers. I pushed his face even closer to mine, if at all possible, and felt his arms tighten around my waist.

His open palms pressed against my lower back and lifted me off my feet and into his arms. I let out a little squeal into the kiss and felt him smile in response. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively; propping me up against him. He began to stumble backwards, towards the room beside the front door.

"Door. End of hallway," I murmured breathlessly into his lips, realizing he didn't know where he was going.

He broke away from me and left me panting. My lips were raw from the mind-numbing kiss we had just shared. With every kiss that I shared with Danny, each one would undoubtedly become my best kiss, each time growing in intensity and hunger, overwhelming my senses completely. Why did he break away?

"You think I'm that easy Brooke?" he asked me, his eyebrow raising inquiringly.

He was trying to be funny at a time like this? This boy had to learn comedic timing. I saw the grin on his face as he waited for my response; I paused trying to come up with an appropriate response to his cheekiness.

"A word of advice Danny; when a girl gives you directions to her bedroom and is locked in your arms while kissing you, take them," I said firmly, my lips not once faltering into a smile, not cracking at all as I continued to look at him sternly.

His smile just grew and his lips crashed back onto mine and the electricity began to course through my veins again. He wrapped his arms more tightly around me and began to make his way to the aforementioned door that I had directed him to.

"I am that easy, by the way," he mumbled into my lips as we approached the door, one hand breaking away from me as he reached for the handle.

All I could do was laugh into the kiss as we stumbled backwards into the darkness of my room.

_**AGAIN, REVIEWS ARE MORE THAN WELCOME AND GREATLY APPRECIATED,**_

_**BUT WE APPRECIATE THAT YOU JUST TAKE THE TIME TO READ.**_

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